Calling home
by Jesse-J
Summary: Maybe they're not really lost in the universe, and not alone. Maybe someone, somewhere, has the power to change their fate. Maybe.
1. Chapter 1

**CALLING HOME  
**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Stargate Universe_ nor anything related to the _Stargate franchise_.

**Author's note:** This is my first attempt to write a _Stargate Universe_ fanfiction in English. Be kind, I'm french...

* * *

When the Alteran Prime Counselor entered what could be a situation room on Earth, everything went suddenly quiet and almost every person within the place turned to glance anxiously at the old but tall and large gray haired men. Then, it strangely looked like everyone was awaiting his wrath. But the Prime Counselor didn't erupt in anger. With a calm behavior but a quick pace, he approached the young man behind a console in the center of the vast room.

"Report!"

The young Alteran typed on his console. A big sized holographic screen appeared from thin air in the middle of the room and displayed several images and videos of some people apparently aboard a spaceship, and a wide schematic plan of a huge vessel riddled with data. The Prime Counselor focused on the screen a brief moment and then turned to the young man still at the console, his gray eyebrows raised in complete astonishment.

"_The Destiny?_"

A nod was the only answer he got from the young man beside him. The second after, his eyes were back on the screen.

"But... How is it possible? That ship was lost millions of years ago!"

"Yes, Sir Prime. 2,86 millions years ago precisely. But we triple checked the data: that's The Destiny, without no possible doubt. Despite the fact millions of years have elapsed, seemingly, the ship is just going on with its mission." said the young Alteran on his right side. The Prime Counselor let his mind digest the incredible information, his eyes locked on the screen right before him.

"What's the ship status?"

"There are some minor damages to the hull but The Destiny is fully operational. All systems are in stasis except life support, navigation, propulsion and emergency procedures."

"That's... unbelievable!" muttered The Prime Counselor who seemed to be unquestionably overwhelmed by the news because he then asked with a trembling voice "But how did you find it? And who are these people on board?"

The young man typed again on his console. Images on the screen changed to show a detail of The Destiny which looked like to be the bridge.

"Well," hesitated the man "We didn't really find The Destiny, Sir Prime. The Destiny found us."

"_The Destiny found us_?"

It was clearly like a shock to the older man. Pointing at the screen, the young Alteran went on.

"When these people boarded the ship by the astria porta, intruder alert procedure activated the security protocols of the ship. That made The Destiny send us a message and it seems we are the first Alterans to have received it."

The Prime Counselor walked up to the holographic screen, amazed, and took a few seconds observing the ship.

"And about these beings?"

"The Destiny also sent us a full report about them. Bioanalysis comparisons with our database revealed that they belong to the human race from Earth."

The Prime Counselor turned rapidly around and stared at him.

"_Humans from Earth_? Like the ones who brought Atlantis back to their planet?"

"Affirmative, Sir Prime."

A moment of silence felt upon the room.

"Do they have control of the ship?"

"No, Sir Prime. Apparently, they partially apprehend Alteran technology. The report sent by the ship says they repaired a malfunction in life support system because although they've tried to dial their homeworld they're stranded."

The next couple of minutes, looking back at the screen, The Prime Counselor seemed to be lost in his thoughts. And then his voice rose, firm.

"I want a map. Show me the position of The Destiny and her course. Plus her range from our homeworld and details of all the astria porta nearby the ship."

"Processing, Sir Prime."

Graphics, schematics and lights of different colors illuminated the holographic screen and a 3D map materialized just in front of the Counselor who took the time to look at it, thinking furiously.

"They're so far away from our galaxy." whispered the old Alteran, and then he said out loud "What is that trajectory The Destiny is on?"

"The ship is on its original programmed course which is to follow The Sower."

"_The Sower_" thought The Counselor. Another vessel of legend. One among the many designed to implant galaxies with astria porta. Alteran ancient history was so huge...

"Are there any corridors on The Destiny's course?"

"_Corridors_, Sir Prime?" The surprise in the young man's voice behind the central console was obvious. Without a single look to him the older Alteran said:

"Corridors, yes. I know it's quite an old technology but if The Destiny is still traveling through space millions of years after her launch, I bet the corridors still work as well. So... corridors, please?"

The young Alteran paused a second and then typed on his console one more time. A minute later, several other items started to twinkle on the 3D map. The Prime Counselor remained static in front of the screen for a long moment.

"Now, send a message directly to The Destiny's computer core. I want the ship to modify its course in order to come close this corridor." The Counselor touched an element on the holographic screen. "Have a star cruiser ready for an interception course in two hours and a full squadron positioned via astria porta on this planet as soon as possible" He touched another element on the screen.

"Your orders have been sent, Sir Prime."

The Prime Counselor turned around and looked gravely at everyone in the situation room.

"I think it's time for The Destiny to come back home."

**FIN._**


	2. Chapter 2

**  
CALLING HOME – Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer & author's note:** _see previous chapter_

* * *

Limping a little, Young walked in what was used as a control room aboard The Destiny by the survivors of The Icarus Project. Followed in his foot steps by Lieutenant Scott, he stopped to stand beside the central console, briefly looked at Eli and then focused his attention on Rush, mistrust and curiosity mixed in his gaze for the scientist.

"All right," said Young. "I'm here. What's going on, Dr Rush?"

With a glance to the Lieutenant whom he clearly didn't expect to be there, and another one somewhat defiant to the Colonel in response to the soldier's attitude, the scientist turned around to face the young man sitting at the central console.

"Tell them what you've found, Eli."

Looking a little uncomfortable, Eli explained: "I was running through the files in the ship's computer," His face imprinted a light constrained smile and he went on. "I mean... randomly you know, just out of curiosity, when I found something that could be assimilated to what we usually call computer logs." Eli stopped talking and watched the soldiers in front of him. The Colonel encouraged him with a wave of his hand.

"OK, Eli. Computer logs. So?"

With a quick look to Rush first, Eli stared at the Colonel next.

"Communications logs precisely. And they indicate that The Destiny modified her course three days ago."

There was a little surprise on Scott's face but Young didn't really react to the news, or he didn't show it. He just kept his look on the young man. But a few seconds later, he turned to Rush.

"How long have you known this?" he asked him dryly.

A fleeting and mocking smile appeared on the scientist face. "Eli informed me ten minutes before I called you to join us there." Rush's tone was sharp and as defiant as the look he was still giving the Colonel. "And now that you're here because we decided to share the information, let me tell you there's more to know, Colonel." He looked back at Eli then. "Go on, please."

Being the center of attention again made Eli's expression suddenly turned solemn and oddly excited in the same time. A short heavy silence felt upon them all before he said: "These logs also indicate that the course correction was made _by someone outside the ship_."

"What?" shouted Scott, surprised. "Someone outside the ship?" He was about to come closer to Eli but Young raised an arm to prevent him from going any further. The Colonel looked at his Lieutenant a second to make him steady and then slowly locked his eyes on Rush. Tension filled up the room as the two men stared at each other. Afterward, the soldier made a few steps to stand face to face with the scientist.

"I hope you have an explanation for this, Dr Rush. _A good one_."

Tension went up a notch and electricity could nearly be sensed in the air. Rush flashed an angry look at Young and answered him harshly: "As a matter of fact, _I don't_, Colonel Young."

"How convenient." spat Young in a totally contemptuous voice.

The scientist sighed heavily before replying: "If you want to believe so!" He ran to the central console and shoved Eli aside to the young man's surprise. Then, taping hardly on the keyboard, he made a screen materialize in front of them and pointed a finger at it. "This is a representation of the ship's computer core. Since we got here, we've tried everything we could to access the main programs contained in the core. But we couldn't! We can't interfere with the core. That means there's no programming possible except the original one." Rush paused a couple of seconds. "The ship's course is part of the original programming. You could spend a lifetime trying to change that data in the core, you can't. Because we understood hindsight that the Destiny's computer core was designed to be usable by Ancient people only, certainly as a measure of protection."

Young came near the console and looked at Rush, very annoyed.

"And what is your _damn_ point here?"

"But don't you get it, Colonel?" exclaimed the scientist, walking around the console to be face to face with Young again. "If the computer core has been reprogrammed by someone outside the ship while we know this can only be done by Ancient people," Rush paused to take a deep breath. "Then we can deduce there are Ancient people somewhere in space, and that these Ancient people are probably monitoring the ship at this very moment."

As the disclosure of this incredible but logical truth sank in Young and Scott's mind, the look of astonishment on their faces became quite priceless for Rush but the scientist didn't let the feeling be perceptible on his. He watched the young Lieutenant turned to Eli and asked in disbelief: "Is it true? _Ancients_?" A shrug from Eli was his only answer and a long minute went by before the Colonel broke the silence.

"You know, Dr Rush, for someone who pretended to have no explanation on the situation, I found this one pretty convincing." The sarcasm in Young's voice was obvious but there was expression of real recognition underneath as well and that particular point made Rush snicker.

"An explanation?" said the scientist with a weak smile. "Well, actually, it's more a theory than an explanation, Colonel."

"_A theory?_ What do you mean by a theory?" Young seemed suddenly confused while he was so confident in what he had heard the minute before. "Haven't you just proved us who changed the ship's course?"

"Maybe. But something doesn't fit here!" said Rush, irritated, looking absently at the screen still hanging in the air. A short moment later he turned around and stared at Young. "Because if you read all the missions' reports from the SGC like I did, you know just as well as me, Colonel, that all the Ancients are gone. They all ascended. _All of them_!"

Some kind of disturbing concern was in Young's voice when he asked the scientist hesitantly: "But then... who could have made that course correction from outside the ship, Dr Rush?"

A bitter smile fell flat on the scientist's face.

"_That_, Colonel, is the million dollar question."

-O-

Later that day, nearly everyone aboard the ship was in the mess hall trying one more time to enjoy their tasteless gruel. Most of the people were engaged in small talk when suddenly, with no warnings, a dazzling vaporous light seemed to descend through the ceiling in the entrance of the room. And then, out of nowhere, someone was standing there: a beautiful young woman dressed in some sort of white toga, with long dark hair and sea blue eyes that were magnifying her absolute beauty.

The surprise over, there were little muffled cries and gasps among the people in the mess hall. Some of them, a little scared, stood up to draw back to the wall at the opposite of the entrance meanwhile the present soldiers seized their P-90s and pointed them at the intruder. During this moment of confusion, the young woman just stood still and simply looked at everyone around the room and, with an incredible genuine smile, she stared at Lieutenant Scott.

"Your weapons are no use against me." Her voice was very calm and peaceful. "I mean you no harm."

Not really lowering his gun, Scott made a step forward, scanning the young woman and paying really attention to the least of her reactions. "Who are you?" The Lieutenant's voice was full of concern but he didn't seem to be be scared at all, only doing his job. "And how did you get there?"

A moment of silence went by before the woman replied to him.

"My name is Lahana. I am what your people call an ascended Ancient."

There were shocked and bewildered expressions on most of the people's faces in the room. The young woman made a few steps to come closer to Scott and looked at him very carefully.

"_I am here to help you._"

**FIN._**


End file.
